You'll Always be My Hero
by wencho17
Summary: This is the story of what could have happened after Quinn gave Beth up for adoption. Her relationships with both Finn and Puck are addressed.
1. Reflecting on the Past

Quinn was thinking about Finn again. She couldn't stop thinking about him, him and their baby. Life was so much easier when Beth was their baby, so much better she thought. Never did she feel so scared but so safe at the same time. He made it okay, he made her okay and she was so grateful to him for that, she always would be. He helped her get through one of the toughest times in her life and he was truly the best person for her.

She was thinking about how he would talk to the baby and get so excited every time she kicked. He loved that little girl and Quinn knew he would make a great father. She thought all of the days spent lying in his bed just lying there together.

Oh no. She thought about the lying. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't forget about it.

With that thought she was instantly snapped back into reality, the reality of what she had done. She had slept with his best friend and lied to him and told him it was his baby. He loved that baby and all along she knew it wasn't his. But she wanted it to be. They could have been a family. They were going to be a family. She remembered the words so perfectly. It was just two days before her world came crashing down that he told her how much he wanted her to keep the baby. She was unsure about it but somehow he said exactly what she needed to hear. He always had a way of doing that, assuring her when she couldn't do so herself. She said yes and he was elated. They were going to be a family, they didn't know how they would manage it but all they needed he said was love and with that they could get through anything. He told her to trust him and she did.

Ah trust. She hated that word now and all that it meant. He trusted her with all his heart and she ruined it, everything. She remembered the day like it was yesterday.

_He stormed into glee rehearsal and headed straight toward Puck. He lunged at him and punched him in the face. Immediately the other glee boys pulled them apart but she knew that something was wrong and by the tears in her eyes part of her knew that he had found out the truth. She couldn't fight it anymore and the tears streamed down her face. He looked at her with sad eyes, the saddest eyes she had ever seen from him. She couldn't stop crying, she was broken and so guilt ridden she couldn't look at him. He grabbed her arm lightly and held it the way she had remembered him doing so many times before. For a moment she thought maybe he could forgive her, maybe they could still be a family, but no. _

"_Tell me," Finn said, "is it true. Is Puck the father of our baby?" _

_Our baby. _

_Those words stung because she knew the truth. She couldn't bring herself to say the words, she couldn't do it. She just looked at him and the tears wouldn't stop. So much for being strong she thought. When it came to him she could always let her guard down but now she wanted to be doing anything but crying. She didn't have a right to cry. She hurt him so she didn't have the right to be upset. He squeezed her arm a little tighter. She knew that he knew the truth but wanted her to say it. _

"_Tell me, it's not true. Tell me it's all a cruel joke or a nightmare" he said, pleading with her to tell him what he wanted to hear. She didn't say a word and her silence was enough to make him realize that everything he hoped was a lie, was in fact true after all._

"_Tell me!" he yelled. _

"_I-I-I'm so sorry," was all she could muster. _

_At that he let go of her arm and had a look on his face she would never forget. He was angry, sad, upset and even afraid. She saw his pain and wanted to take it all away. She reached for his hand but he turned away. Then he said the words that have been burned into her mind and that she wished she never had to hear._

"_Get the hell away from me," he said, "I'm done with you. I-I-I don't ever want to see you again. I'm done with both of you." _

_He stormed out of the room and she was left crying on the ground. She wanted to go after him and to explain everything to him. She wanted to tell him that she was so sorry and she wanted him to be the baby's father but she knew it was useless. He hated her and all she could do was cry. It was over, everything; her dreams, their family, everything. She was broken but knew he was ten times worse. She couldn't get that sound out of her head of when_ _he slammed the door shut. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! It was the sound of her dreams being destroyed, her life being ruined. SLAM! SLAM! _

SLAM! She was startled but then she realized she was back to reality. Part of her was glad she stopped thinking about him, that is until she realized who was standing there, who slammed her locker door shut. It was Puck. Great, she thought. He was the last person she wanted to deal with right now, especially with her eyes filled with tears. She tried to hide it but she knew he saw.

"So what, you're crying now?" he said to her. "You choose to give up our baby, and you think you get to cry?"

The words hurt because she knew it was true. She also knew though, that was not the reason why she was crying. She missed her baby so much but she missed the family she was going to have with her little girl and Finn even more. She would never admit that to Puck though, never.

"Leave me alone," she said to him as she re opened her locker, grabbed her books and went to walk away.

He grabbed her arm but not in the gentle way Finn used to. This one hurt and he wouldn't let go. "I'm sorry babe," he said, "I didn't mean to like get all mad but I miss her is all and I miss you."

She wanted anything to get him to let go but he wouldn't. "I miss her too and it's too hard to think about so please just leave me alone," she pleaded with him.

"Fine," he retorted, as he pulled her arm a little harder. It hurt but she did everything she could to not make a sound. It wasn't the first time he grabbed her, and it wasn't the first time he had gotten violent.


	2. Breaking Two Hearts

It all started after she gave up the baby. After Finn broke up with her, Puck offered to let her move in with him. He told her he wanted to be a good dad and would help her with whatever she needed. She told him no but she really had nowhere else to go and she would not let her baby suffer for her mistakes. She finally agreed and it wasn't as bad as she thought. Sure, Puck wasn't Finn but he really did try to be there for her. Sure he still slept with other girls and it honestly didn't bother her at first, but then she started to care for him, even love him a little, and that's when it hurt more. But other than that he was good to her. When she went into labor he was there for her but then she told him what she was doing about the adoption and things changed.

"_I can't keep her Puck. I love her but I can't keep her," she said as her eyes welled up with tears. She knew this hurt him but it stung more than even she thought it would. _

"_Quinn please," he begged her. "I know I'm not the person you want to be her father but I can do it. I can help you raise her, we can be together and we can be a family. I love her and I-I love you too." _

_Those words hurt. She knew he was trying and even thought that he could be a good dad but she couldn't do it. She wanted to be a family but not with him, with Finn and although she did love him and he loved her she was convinced it was only because of the baby. _

"_Puck, please, this is hard enough without you making it harder. We can't do this, I'm sorry," she said as she handed him the adoption papers which he signed but reluctantly. She cried. She wanted to keep her but she couldn't and she knew it crushed him. _

"_Just tell me one thing," he said. "If this was Finn's baby, would things be different? I mean you said we can't do this but if it was Finn's would that answer be different?" _

_She already knew the answer was yes. If it was Finn's baby they would be taking her back to his house and raising her. She couldn't tell Puck that though. _

"_That's not a fair question," she said trying to avoid telling him the truth._

"_I just need to know Quinn," he said to her. "If this baby was Finn's, would you keep her?"_

_She began to cry. She couldn't tell him the truth. "I'm sorry," was all she was able to say. She didn't want to hurt him anymore then she already had._

"_That's what I thought," he said as he already knew the answer. "Look I know I'm part of the reason your whole life is screwed up, maybe most of it but I at least thought that considering what happened that we could do this. He doesn't love you anymore Quinn, but I do." _

_She knew he was right about one thing, that Finn didn't love her. She didn't want to believe it but she knew it was true. "You don't either," she said. "You don't love me, you just love this baby and you love the idea of us being a family." Then she said the words that seemed to change Puck. "Finn loved me and the baby, you just don't." She wasn't questioning his love for his daughter but they both knew the truth. He didn't love her and probably never would. He left without saying a word to her and then everything went downhill for him._

She had done it. She had broken two hearts by what she had done and ruined three lives in the process. Puck started to drink and was angry all the time. He couldn't get over the fact that she gave up their baby and hated her for it. He became violent with her. Nothing too bad just grabbing her arm and pulling her, but still it scared her. She knew she hurt him and she cried just thinking about what she had done to him.

Then there was Finn. She hurt him in ways that she never thought possible. He had become cold and not just to her. He was still the quarterback of the football team and still in glee but he was different. She had done that to him. She took his baby away and she knew that he would never get over losing his little girl. She started to cry again but stopped herself. It was over. It had been three weeks since she gave up her baby and over four months since her and Finn broke up. She had to stop crying, she had to stop.

The bell rang and she closed her locker and headed off to glee rehearsal. It was really all she had left. Puck hated her, Finn hated her, and everyone still stared and talked about her in the hallways. She was not the Quinn everyone knew before because she had changed too. No longer the head cheerleader, no longer the most popular girl in school, she was an outcast. Sure she had glee and she loved it, but at the same time hated it too. Every time she went into glee she saw Finn, happy with Rachel and it killed her to see that. She missed him and seeing him made it worse. But she went to glee anyway because her friends there were the last things she had.


	3. An Offer She Can't Refuse

After glee, Quinn headed back to her locker and was met by none other than cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester.

"I have a proposition for you Q," she said with a devious look in her eyes. Still hell bent on destroying glee, Sue was about to start her master plan. If she took Quinn away from glee she knew that she could get the other cheerleaders to follow and then they would not have enough members to compete. She relished in her plan and knew that it would pay off.

"What do you want Coach Sylvester," Quinn said.

"I want you to quit glee," Sue said.

Quinn looked at her and thought that Sue must be crazy thinking she would quit glee.

"Quit glee and I will let you back on the Cheerios, back as captain," Sue finished.

Quinn was shocked and although she hated to admit it she really thought about Sue's offer. She loved glee but it was hard for her to go because of Finn. Cheerios on the other hand could be a fresh start, a chance to be popular again. Sure she would give it all up to have Finn back and to have her baby and their family but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"I'll think about it Coach," she said.

This was enough for Sue. She knew she had planted the seed and in a few short days Quinn would realize that Cheerios was the only thing for her. Sue walked away triumphantly, but then again she was always triumphant. She was Sue Sylvester after all.


	4. Looking for Answers

Two weeks had gone by since Quinn last showed up at glee rehearsal and unknown to the club she had taken Sue's offer to quit glee. She didn't tell anybody except Mr. Shue who although was unhappy with her decision he understood it and promised not to tell anyone. No one really noticed after the first few rehearsals but by the fourth rehearsal she missed, the club got curious.

"Mr. Shue, where's Quinn," Brittany asked. "She hasn't been at rehearsal in two weeks."

"Quinn is currently unable to be with us," Mr. Shue said.

"Is she okay?" Mercedes asked, very concerned about her friend.

"She's fine," Mr. Shue assured her, "she just had to leave, maybe she'll be back but until then, we have sectionals to rehearse for. I know they are awhile away but if we want to win and make it to nationals then we have to be prepared."

Everyone seemed content with his answer as they got back to work and didn't ask anymore questions for the rest of rehearsal.

At the end of rehearsal before everyone left, Mr. Shue did say one thing. "Guys, I know this is hard to hear, but there is a good chance Quinn won't be back. In case she doesn't come back be on the look out. We need another member in order to be eligible to compete. See you all in a few days, remember your assignments."

Mr. Shue left, but the rest of glee club stayed in their seats. They started discussing Quinn and who could replace her. Finn seemed to be uncomfortable as everyone speculated why Quinn left but he stayed anyway. Part of him was curious even though he wouldn't admit it.

"I know why Quinn hasn't been here," Santana said as she grinned, satisfied that she remembered the reason why Quinn stopped coming to glee. "She quit. I heard Coach Sylvester offering to take her back on the Cheerios if she quit glee. She must have taken her up on that."

Everyone looked at Santana shocked but they knew it had to be true. No one said a word for a few minutes as they all looked puzzled. The silence continued and it was Finn who spoke up.

"Look guys," he said taking on his captain role. "She quit and although it sucks we have to get over it. We have to think about sectionals and finding a new member."

Rachel chimed in saying, "Finn's right. As captains it is our job to make sure glee is running and in order to do that we need to find a new member. I expect you all to have ideas by next rehearsal."

Everyone left rehearsal wishing it was Rachel who had quit and not Quinn but they all knew they have to find someone else. A few minutes went by and the only people in the choir room were Rachel and Finn.

"I'm kind of glad she quit," Rachel said. "I mean I know how hard it was for everyone to take sides and now they don't have to."

Finn just looked at her at this suggestion. He was still trying to figure out what happened and Rachel as usual, seemed to be making things worse. "I need some air Rach," he said, "I'll call you later."

He did need air but what he really wanted to do was confront Quinn. He hadn't spoken a word to her since she told him the baby wasn't his but he had to know why she would quit glee and mess things up for the whole club, and for him, again. He thought she was done with hurting him and he thought he was done with allowing himself to be hurt by her. He couldn't understand how after all that happened that she still managed to have a hold on him that he couldn't shake. He couldn't bring himself to reflect on the past and on what happened because it hurt too much. Everything was perfect until she ruined it. She broke his heart; no she ripped it out of his chest, broke it into a million pieces, stomped on it and then threw it in the trash. She hurt him worse than he had ever been hurt before but part of him, and he couldn't understand why, still loved her. He hated her but he still loved her. Maybe that's why he couldn't talk to her or even look at her. Every time he saw her he wanted to cry. Damn it. He hated that she still had power over him. She was the only one who could make him cry anymore. Ever since he found out the baby wasn't his he became extremely closed off. The sensitivity he had and his sweet heart all disappeared that day. He was a jock and he started to act like one. Sure he was still in glee and he was nice to the club and to Rachel but to everyone else he was different and he really stopped caring about everything. He thought about Rachel. He had Rachel as his girlfriend but he wasn't fully happy. He loved her and was happy with her but part of him wanted Quinn. It was stupid and he only wanted the Quinn before she betrayed him but he wanted her none the less. He tried his best with Rachel but he couldn't get over Quinn. He knew he never would.

He wiped a tear from his eye and then willed himself to stop crying. He knew what he had to do. He had to confront Quinn. He had to talk to her and have the talk that they should have had when he found out about the baby. He needed closure. He needed to know why she quit glee but more importantly he had to know why she betrayed and lied to him. He didn't want to but it was the only way to get her to come back to glee and the only way he could get himself a little peace of mind. Maybe he thought, if he talked to her, he could get her out of his head. But then again, maybe part of him didn't want to forget her. He didn't know what he wanted but he knew he had to talk to her. He decided after football practice tomorrow he would confront her at her locker. He needed answers and he needed them now.


	5. I'm So Sorry for Everything

She was thinking about Finn again when she heard her locker door slam shut. Great, it was Puck again. She knew he wouldn't stop being mad at her but there was nothing she could do.

_He had grabbed her again a few days ago at her locker and yelled at her about the baby. She went to walk away but he hit her. He slapped her and then pulled her arm so tight that the bruises from before really started to hurt. This was the first time he hit her. She didn't know what to do or what to say but she knew she couldn't yell or do anything to attract attention. She tried to pull away but he pulled her into a kiss. _

"_Please, Puck," was all she managed before he interrupted. _

"_Sorry babe," he said suddenly realizing what he was doing. He pulled away and looked around. "If you tell anybody about this," he said before she finished his sentence for him. _

"_I-I know, I won't, just please leave me alone," she begged him _

"_Bring my baby back," he said "and we'll talk." _

_He proceeded to kiss her again and then walk away. She didn't know what to do. She just stood there. He never acted like that before. He hadn't kissed her since before their baby was born but that was different. Those kisses were sweet and romantic but lately everything he did to her was hurtful and mean. The kisses were no different. _

She never thought a few bruises from him pulling her arm would turn that violent. Now she was really scared. She didn't know what he would do next and it scared her. That is why when she heard her locker slam she jumped and said, "Puck please, I know you're upset at me because I gave up the baby but please I can't take this anymore."

When she looked up however, she realized the man facing her wasn't Puck. It was Finn. Crap, she thought. He couldn't know about what Puck had been doing.

"Finn," she said, surprised to see him at her locker.

"Yeah uh hi," he said. He was kind of curious why she had just told off Puck or who she thought was Puck but he knew it was none of his business.

"Look about what you just heard," she said before he interrupted.

"Forget that, it's none of my business," he said. "Can we talk somewhere privately, like maybe the choir room, no one is in there."

He wanted to talk to her, she was stunned. She wanted to talk to him too but she was still scared about what he would say. She decided however that it would have to happen sooner or later and it was probably better if she just got it over with. "Um yeah sure," she said before following him to the choir room.

He couldn't believe he was able to be so civil to her. He figured if he was nice she would talk to him but otherwise he knew she wouldn't. So he tried to be civil until they reached the choir room. Then all bets were off. He closed the door and they both stood there for a few minutes before he spoke up.

"I know you quit glee," he said.

She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to say anything because now she realized where this conversation was going. She knew it was time to have the conversation they both avoided. She didn't want to have it not now, not after what had happened with Puck but she knew there was no avoiding it at this point. Still, she didn't answer when he asked.

"Quinn, I know you quit glee, do you want to explain yourself?" he said.

"I don't want to talk about it, not to anyone, definitely not to you," she sneered realizing what she said came out more defensive than she had wanted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, definitely not to me?" he said. Now he was getting defensive and the dreaded conversation was about to begin.

"Because it's none of your business," she told him as she prepared to walk out of the room.

He almost let her go but when she got to the door he spoke. "You know Quinn; I didn't think you would do this. I mean you screwed me over but I guess you just didn't love me. I thought you at least cared enough about glee to not screw everybody else over."

His voice was getting louder, he didn't intend for it to come out like this but he couldn't stop himself. "I thought you knew better, I thought after last year and everything glee club did for you that you would never quit and for the Cheerios. I can't believe it. I thought you learned your lesson about betrayal considering how you lied to me and slept with my best friend. I thought you were done hurting people but I guess not."

He was on a roll now, he didn't want to say what he was saying but he knew he had too. She had hurt him so why didn't he have the right to give it to her honestly? After her lies he thought, a little honesty would do her good. "I mean come on. You know glee needs you, you know we can't perform unless we have twelve members," he reminded her. "Damn it Quinn, how can you be so selfish? How can you do this to us, I mean glee, how can you do this to everyone in glee?"

He had said it. The words he needed to say, the 'us'. She knew now he wasn't really mad about glee and that was not the reason why he confronted her.

"So the truth comes out," she said as she fought back the tears, "this isn't about glee, it's about you and me, it's about us."

"There is no 'us'" he reminded her coldly.

Now it was her turn to tell him off. She loved him but she was done taking crap from people even from Finn. "Look, I quit glee," she began, "but so what. Why do you even care anyway? Oh right I know because this isn't about glee. The fact that I quit glee just gave you an excuse to talk to me and to yell at me for what I did. You were too damn scared to do it and wouldn't even talk to me and let me explain four months ago so why the hell do you think I want to talk you now." She took a deep breath after she finished. She did not intend to say that or to sound so harsh. The last thing she wanted was to make Finn even angrier at her. To her surprise though, he didn't seem mad.

He was done fighting with her and done arguing. "Fine, you got me," he said. "I didn't come here to talk to you about glee. I came here to talk to you about why you did what you did." He was talking to her now, not yelling, just talking with her like they had done a thousand times before. "I loved you and I thought you loved me too but you slept with Puck and lied to me. I don't understand why you betrayed me. I just want to know why. I've gotten over you," he said although he knew it wasn't fully true, "but I feel like I can't move on until you tell me why."

She could hear the hurt in his voice and she knew she owed him honesty but she couldn't do that. She knew what he wanted to hear, that she didn't love him anymore, that she was done and that he could get over her, but she knew she couldn't tell him that. She couldn't lie to him anymore. She was done lying but she didn't want to tell him the truth, not now.

"Finn, I can't. I have to go," she said as she got up from her chair and headed for the door.

He needed answers. He grabbed her arm to get her to stay but he happened to grab the spot which was still hurting. It was the same spot where Puck had grabbed her over and over and the spot was deep purple from the bruises. Finn didn't grab her hard and she knew he would never physically hurt her, but it was instinct. She jumped back and rubbed her arm. He looked stunned. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

It was the concern in his voice, that even after everything he could still be concerned about her, which made her say what she did next. "No, Finn you didn't hurt me, but I hurt you," she said before taking a deep breath and telling him everything she needed to say. "I hurt you so much and I wish I could take it back but I can't. It was a mistake, a stupid mistake and I made a stupid decision but I only lied to you because I thought that if I tried hard enough I could change things. I thought I could convince myself that she really was your daughter. That was how I wanted it; I always wanted her to be yours. And please don't ever think for a second that I didn't love you. I loved you more than I've ever loved anyone else in my entire life. I loved you so much and that's why it was so hard. That's why it was hard for you to know the truth. I never wanted to hurt you. I'd say I'm sorry but that isn't enough, it will never be enough. I can't take back what I did and I regret it everyday. I wish we could be raising our baby together. It was so hard. It's still so hard. I was so scared and you were there and I just didn't know if I could do it without you. I'm not asking for forgiveness or understanding or anything. I know you don't owe me anything and I don't expect anything from you. I just need you to know I'm sorry and I will always be sorry. That's why I quit glee. I had wanted to quit glee ever since you found out about the baby but I couldn't, it was all I had. Coach Sylvester gave me a way out. A way to escape it all and start over and I couldn't take being in glee and having to see you knowing how much you hate me; I couldn't do it any longer. It is so hard having to see you especially because, because," she took a deep breath, "because I still love you. I know I don't have the right to but I do and I think I always will and I just needed you to know."

When she finished speaking a million thoughts ran through his head. He had gotten what he wanted, an explanation, but for some reason it wasn't closure. He never saw anyone as upset as she was and he knew she was really sorry. Part of him wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay but he didn't, he couldn't. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. When he finally got up the courage to talk he said to her, "I-I don't hate you. I hate what you did. But I don't hate you."

He wished he had been able to say more but he couldn't. For the first time in a long time he felt bad for Quinn and he even felt a little sorry for her. He knew he didn't have to and that it was stupid that he did, but after seeing her break down right in front of his eyes he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for his part in it all. He wanted to say that to her but he couldn't, he wouldn't. It would show weakness and Finn wasn't that person anymore.

He needed to leave before he did something he would regret, before he kissed her. He didn't know why but he wanted to kiss her. He didn't forgive her, he wasn't even friends with her but he wanted to kiss her. She still had a hold on him that he knew now would never go away.

When Quinn finally got up to leave he noticed the bruise on her arm. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you? I see the bruise on your arm," he asked. He was concerned because he never thought he would be violent with her. He never wanted to hurt her and she never wanted to hurt him. He so wished he could take it all back, he wanted to hate her but he couldn't. He wished they hadn't had that conversation because it brought up all of his unresolved feelings. He felt differently toward her now and although she broke his heart, he wanted to forgive her. He was deep in thought until she interrupted him answering his question.

She looked down at her arm and pulled her sweatshirt over it so that he couldn't see the bruises anymore. She wanted to tell him about how Puck hit her but she knew that he wasn't her hero anymore.

"I'm sure, you didn't hurt me," she assured him. "It's nothing, I fell but I'm okay you don't have to worry."

She went to leave the room but turned around to see his face one last time. She knew this might be the last time she ever spoke to him. "Finn, thank you for letting me explain," she said before turning and walking out the door.

He didn't know until she walked out that door how much he missed her, how much he still loved her. He wanted to tell her but he just stared at the door and cried.


	6. Getting the Wrong Perception

About a week had gone by since she had the conversation with him and they hadn't talked since. Nothing was really different for her. She didn't expect him to forgive her but she felt better that at least he knew the truth. It took a little of the guilt away. She missed him but she felt that maybe now that she knew what was in his heart that she could finally let him go.

The week changed him though. He found himself thinking about her all the time. He stole glimpses of her at her locker when he knew she wasn't looking and he waited after glee was over just to see her walk down the hallway. He couldn't get over her. He wanted to see her and to forgive her. He wasn't there yet though. He couldn't forgive her not yet but he still missed her and took every chance he could just to see her.

Another week went by and she decided to come back to glee. Everyone was happy but especially him. He didn't show it, he didn't want her to know that she was his weakness but he loved that she came back. Just seeing her, hearing her sing, it made him feel like things were normal at least for a few moments each day.

Finn decided to surprise Quinn at her locker one day after glee rehearsal. He wanted to tell her that he wanted them to try to be friends. He was prepared to tell her that he missed her friendship and wanted it back. His smile was brighter than it had been in a long time as he headed toward her locker. But then he saw something that instantly took it away.

He saw Puck at her locker and he saw them kissing. His heart was broken again. He didn't think it was possible and she didn't even do anything. He wasn't with her and had no right to be upset but there it was. The girl of his dreams and that he would always love with the boy who was supposed to be his best friend. It was happening again. Damn it. How could he be such an idiot? It was over between him and Quinn, it was over and he had to accept it. But Puck? Why did it always have to be Puck? He was so upset. He knew trusting her again would be a mistake. He was angry because he thought she loved him. I mean she told him she still did. He should have just told her he loved her too then none of this would have happened.

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that this time it wasn't her fault. I mean she did make him love her again, whether she intended to or not but it wasn't her fault. He made it clear to her that he was with Rachel and it was good that she was moving on but still part of him always thought she would be there for him. He couldn't think about that anymore though. He still wanted to be friends though so he decided to wait until Puck left to talk to her. He looked away and went back into the choir room so they wouldn't see him but he peeked out the window so that he could see them. Puck kissed her again. He didn't know why he was still watching because it hurt so much to see his beloved Quinn with Puck. He kept watching though and saw what transpired next.

Quinn was at her locker when Puck showed up again. He hadn't come around in about a week so she thought that maybe just maybe he would leave her alone. She was wrong.

"Hey babe," he said.

She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "What do you want?" she said. She spoke to him with more conviction than before. Something about talking to Finn about her mistakes gave her so much courage.

"I want a baby," he said.

She knew that he wasn't joking. "You can't be serious right?" she said, hoping that he would change his mind.

"I want a baby," he repeated. "You took away my last one and now you owe me another. I want a baby."

She looked stunned. He had just asked her to give him a baby. They weren't even together and they didn't even love each other. "Puck, you have to know that is not happening," she said. "We made a mistake having sex before; I'm not doing it again."

He grabbed her. Oh how much she hadn't missed that. "Puck let go," she said as serious as she had ever said anything.

"Ah so somebody's being feisty are we," he said as he grabbed her tighter.

This time it wasn't just her arm. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into another kiss, the kiss that Finn witnessed, the kiss that made him think they were back together. If only he knew. She pulled at him and tried not to be afraid but she was shaking. She didn't know what he would do next.

"Get off of me," she screamed. She pulled away and he slapped her again.

As they struggled she fell to the ground. He pulled her back up to make sure nobody saw it. "Look, you owe me a baby and I will get it," he said before walking away. He wanted a baby and that scared her a lot.

Finn came out of the choir room. Unknown to Quinn, he had seen it all. He saw Puck hit her and he saw him push her to the ground. He had to talk to her. He walked out of the choir room and saw that she was still standing at her locker and that she was shaking.

"Quinn, look," he said. It startled her and she jumped back.

"Oh hi Finn, I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

He could tell she was scared. "So yeah, I um wanted to tell you that I think we should try to be friends," he said, "but I saw something and I didn't like it and I just wanted to say…"

She stopped him.

She knew he saw what Puck did. How was she going to cover it up?

"Just stop Finn. I think we should try to be friends but nothing more. What you saw was nothing," she said. It hurt that she had to lie to him again.

"Quinn, did he hurt you, are you with him?" he asked.

She could see the genuine concern in his eyes and that's what made it so hard for her to lie to him. "Yes. Puck and I are back together," she said, trying to hide the fact that she was lying.

"Why did he push you then," Finn asked defensively.

"He didn't push me. I fell. Why were you watching anyway?" she snapped back.

"It doesn't matter. Quinn, I saw what I saw. You can tell me," he said as he touched her hand lightly but quickly felt her pull away.

"You didn't see anything, now please just leave it alone," Quinn pleaded.

She wanted to tell him so badly but she didn't know what Puck would do to her. She closed her locker and walked away not looking back at him because she knew she would break down into his arms. He was her hero and would always be her hero. Maybe, she wasn't as over him as she thought. She couldn't think about it.

Finn on the other hand couldn't stop staring. He didn't believe it but if she said she was with Puck it must be true. He swore he saw Puck push her though. Maybe that was just what he wanted to believe. It was too much to deal with. He left school but couldn't stop thinking about what he saw. He decided that he would pay close attention to her to see if anything else happened, just in case.


	7. If Only He Knew

A few more weeks went by and Finn didn't see anything. He saw Puck at Quinn's locker a few times but it was nothing more than kissing. Maybe they really were back together. Finn wasn't ready to give up that easily though, he decided to keep watching. He knew eventually he would see something.

Another week went by and nothing. Finn was angry. They really were together. He blew it. He and Quinn were done for real and he just decided to leave her alone. He walked by her locker and didn't even look at her, he couldn't. If she was happy with Puck, he was going to let her be happy.

If only he knew. If only he knew what happened the day after Finn saw the fight.

_He came back to her locker and she just wished that Finn would come back and save her. _

"_Hey babe, you're coming over tonight, it is time to make our baby," he said. _

_Why wouldn't he let that go, she didn't want to have his baby or any baby for that matter right now. She wanted to tell him no but she thought that she would be better off just avoiding the question. "Finn saw what happened yesterday," she said. _

"_Oh he did, did he and what exactly did he see?" Puck said sarcastically. _

"_He saw you push me. He thinks you're hurting me," she said to him. _

"_Oh really now," he said, "did you say anything to him. I swear if you told him," _

"_You'll what" she interrupted. "You'll hit me again? Go ahead; I'm not afraid of you." Those words came out quicker than she intended them. She was afraid of him and she didn't think her attempt to be strong was fooling him one bit. _

"_Look whose brave all of a sudden," he said. "Look, tell your little boyfriend that I'm not hurting you and everything can go back to how it was." _

"_I did," Quinn said. "I told him we were dating and that you never hurt me. I lied to him." _

_He laughed. "So we're dating now? Well Fabray you aren't really my type but I suppose if we're dating then I can do this," he said as he leaned over and kissed her. _

_She wanted to fight it but decided that it would be better to just leave it alone. She hated when he kissed her, she wished it was someone else's lips pressed against hers but she held her tongue and let him kiss her. _

"_Look, just to be safe," she said placating him now, "let's keep the hands off until we're not in school. We don't want people to think there is anything going on. People will figure out we are dating but the other stuff let's not do that at school." _

_She hoped that he would accept her excuse._

_He thought about it for a second and then told her he would keep his hands off of her at school. He kissed her and walked away. _

_What had she just done? She just told him they were dating. Quinn realized she made a mistake. As soon as Puck found out that she only said that to him to get him to leave her alone, she knew it would be trouble. At least in school, he wouldn't mess with her. Now she only had to deal with it at his house. She had to go over so he would think things were okay but at his house things always got rough. She managed to avoid sex with him and even some of the violence but she knew she had to get away. She desperately wished she had told Finn the truth, but it was too late now. She took a deep breath and headed to class hoping she wouldn't have to see Puck for the rest of the day._


	8. When No One Can Hear Your Screams

A few more weeks went by and Quinn was worse off than ever. It was the night of the glee end of the year party and Quinn decided to wear a long sleeve shirt. It was summer but she didn't want anyone especially Finn to see the bruises. Puck had started hitting her more and more. Every time she didn't come over, he came over her place. It happened almost every day that he would come to her house, toss her around a little bit, grab her and hit her and then leave. Each time he got what he wanted except a baby. She continued to say no and if she had anything to be thankful for it was that he didn't force her to have sex with him. She covered up her bruises and then put make up on her face trying to think of how she could explain the black eye she had. When she came up with her story she left for the party that was at Rachel's house.

Finn saw when Quinn walked in and the two of them exchanged smiles. They had become friends but he still worried about her. He started to believe that she and Puck really were together but part of him still worried. He was with Rachel now and knew that he couldn't be with Quinn. He never forgave her and he couldn't even justify how he would be with her. They were better off as friends he decided.

As he sat with Rachel he took notice of the party atmosphere. Everybody pretty much had a beer in their hands and he could tell that some of them were already drunk. A few hours later pretty much everybody was passed out on the floor. He laughed as he looked at all of his drunken classmates, thankful that he didn't drink. He decided that since everybody was passed out he would leave. As he put on his coat he wondered where Quinn and Puck were. He figured they had left and he just kind of smirked. He guessed that everything worked out how it was supposed to. Maybe he was never meant to be with Quinn, maybe he was meant to be with Rachel. He smiled as he remembered his girlfriend and went over to kiss her goodnight even though he knew she wouldn't remember it in the morning. He grabbed his coat but then heard what he thought was a faint scream. He didn't really pay attention to it but then he heard another. It sounded like it was coming from upstairs; he decided to go check it out.

"Puck please, I'm sorry," she said as he grabbed her and threw her on the bed. It was only a few minutes earlier that he pulled her upstairs and locked the door. She knew what was coming and wished someone would come and save her.

"Sorry? You're sorry? You lied to me, you bitch," he said as he hit her repeatedly. "First you gave up my baby and then you screwed with me. You made me think that we were dating."

"We are," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, you only said that so that I would stop hitting you," he said as he smacked her again harder than last time. "Well let me tell you little miss, I want my baby now and you're going to give it to me." He grabbed her shirt and ripped part of it off. "Don't you dare scream," he said as he saw the look on her face. He jumped on top of her and started kissing her.

She couldn't move. Her body began to shut down and she didn't know what to do. "Puck stop," she said as he continued to force himself on her. She screamed.

"I told you not to scream," he said as he smacked her again and again and then continued to kiss her. She was convinced nobody heard her but she was wrong.


	9. Someone to Rescue Me

When Finn heard the scream, he thought something was wrong with one of Rachel's dads. He went upstairs to investigate but when he got to the top of the stairs, he only heard silence. He waited a second and heard another scream followed by another voice.

"I told you not to scream," he heard coming from inside one of the guest rooms.

He froze for a second. The voice was Puck's. The scream must have been Quinn's. He burst through the door to see Puck on top of Quinn. Puck looked at Finn briefly when he entered but then went back to kissing Quinn. Finn pulled him off. He didn't know how he did. He remembered his mom saying something about an adrenaline rush so he figured this must be what it's like. As he pulled Puck off of Quinn, Puck taunted him.

"Hey Hudson," he said, "what are you doing, you know she likes it rough."

Finn couldn't take it. He punched Puck in the face until he was bleeding on the ground. He didn't take any chances and dragged Puck into the next room, locking the doors so that he couldn't come out and hurt Quinn anymore than he already had. As soon as he locked the door, he ran over to Quinn. She wasn't moving. She was breathing, thank God, but not moving. He sat next to her on the bed and she was shaking uncontrollably. She must have thought he was Puck. It killed him to see her like this. All he could do was sit next to her. He felt helpless. He grabbed her hand softly and she didn't let go. Maybe she knew it was him. She still wasn't moving though and it scared him. Maybe if he talked to her she could hear him.

"Please Quinn, can you hear me. If you can hear me squeeze my hand, it's me Finn" he said. He felt a light squeeze and knew that she knew he was there. "I am so sorry," he said. "I should have stopped him sooner. I should have known. I should have seen the signs. Please be okay, I'll never forgive myself if you aren't."

She looked at him with a blank stare. She was in shock and was so afraid, so vulnerable.

"Listen to me," he said as his eyes welled up with tears, "please come back to me. I-I-I love you. I never stopped loving you. I need you. Please, please be okay." He sobbed uncontrollably at her bedside until he heard a faint sound.

"Finn?" she said. She sounded scared and he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away.

"Yes Quinn, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," he said as he kissed her forehead and she managed a smile.

"Finn, I'm so sorry, I hurt you, I'm sorry," was all she could say before she started coughing and struggling to breathe.

"I know baby, I know. And I'm sorry too, but don't talk right now, I'm calling 911," he said as he got out his phone and began to dial. She grabbed the phone from his hand.

"Please, I just need you," she said faintly.

He argued that he had to call the ambulance but agreed to give her the 15 minutes she asked for. He sat next to her and rocked her back and forth. After about ten minutes of quiet, he could hear her crying. "Shh, don't cry. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you again. I love you," he said through tear filled eyes.

"I-I love you too," she managed before gasping for air.

He was losing her and decided to take her to the hospital himself. It was only five minutes from Rachel's house so he decided it would be quicker if he just drove. He gently lifted her out of the bed and she screamed. It hurt so bad to hear her scream. He saw the bruises on her arms and her ripped shirt. As he wiped tears from her eyes he could see the bruises on her face, the black eye and the swollen lip. He cursed himself for this but he couldn't cry he had to be strong for her. He picked her up into his arms and carried her into his car. He left a note with Rachel saying that he and Quinn left so that in the morning no one would wonder where they were.


	10. Back in Your Arms is Where I Belong

He drove to the hospital as fast as he could and when he got there carried her inside. "I need help," he screamed to anyone who would listen, "my friend was attacked." He watched helplessly as the nurse took Quinn into an emergency room to examine her.

"Finn," she said as she was wheeled away.

"I'll be right here as soon as the nurse is done. I'm not leaving," he assured her. He smiled at her to show her that everything was going to be okay even though he was scared. He knew that he had to be brave for her. As he watched her put into the hospital bed though, he broke down into tears. Here she was in the hospital because of him. He should have seen the signs. He saw the bruises and he saw him push her, why didn't he trust his own instincts, why didn't he know? He felt so stupid and felt like it was all his fault. He couldn't be mad at her, not for this, not for anything anymore. He loved her so much and just needed her to be okay.

About ten minutes later, the nurse came out and eased his fears. "She's fine," the nurse said. "She has two broken ribs and some pretty bad bruising but she will be just fine. You can see her now but she's in a lot of pain and needs her rest so don't stay too long."

He nodded to show he understood the rules but then ran to be where he knew he belonged, right by Quinn's side.

"Hi," he said. Wow that was stupid he thought. Quinn just got beaten and all he said was 'hi.'

"Hi," she said back before adding, "you know I love you right?"

He nodded and said, "you know I love you too."

She smiled. It was the first time in a long time he saw her smile and he remembered just how sweet and innocent that smile could be.

"I know times have been tough, but can we start over?" Finn said.

It was surprising to Quinn. She wanted nothing more to say yes but she couldn't. "Finn, I love you and I wish we could but we can't. You're with Rachel and you're only asking because you know, I'm in the hospital. I still don't think you're over what I did to you."

Finn knew that although that she said was probably true that he couldn't give up. "Time is short and precious," he said, "and tonight I could have lost you. I can't risk seeing another chance to be with you disappear and I certainly could not live with myself if you ever got hurt again. I want to be with you and although things still aren't back to how they were, I know we can get there because I love you and you're the one for me Quinn Fabray."

She thought a few minutes about his words and then smiled and nodded yes. "You'll always be my knight in shining armor," she said to him,

"and you'll always be my princess," he said as he smiled at her. "I'll always protect you. Puck and nobody else for that matter will ever lay a hand on you again."

She felt safe in his arms and for the first time in awhile she felt like Puck could not hurt her anymore.

"I'm going to let you get some sleep, nurse's orders," he said showing her that he really didn't want to leave.

"Come back tomorrow," she said.

He nodded, "I will as soon as I can." He took one last look at her before walking out the door. He took in all of her features and remembered how much he missed her. "I love you Quinn," he said before leaving.

"I love you too, more than you'll ever know," she said as she turned off the light and went to sleep.


End file.
